The Science of Giving

Want to feel happier and calmer while also helping to make the world a better place? Research tells us that the simple act of giving to others can have profound mental and physical benefits, changing your brain activity and triggering positive emotions. When you spread kindness to your community through gifts, charitable donations, random acts […]

Why Kindness Is Good for You

When you help others, they benefit from your kindness. But did you know that it also makes you happier and healthier? It may sound a bit selfish to look at how being kind to others is beneficial to you personally, but the research surrounding kindness is so fascinating that we can’t ignore it. Kindness is […]

How to Help a Depressed Friend

lthough everything in life seemed right, there was, nevertheless, something very wrong for Jamie. Upon graduation from college, she’d been hired into her “dream job” as a media advisor for a professional association. She had a good salary, exceptional work colleagues, a large circle of friends, and a supportive family.  “Still, I felt so miserable,” […]

Light in the Darkness: Coping With Holiday Sadness and Depression

For many people, the holiday season inspires feelings of belonging, connection, and joy, but for others, it is a time of increased sadness, loneliness, and depression. While there is no single reason for holiday depression, the season does seem to contain these triggers for sadness: family conflict and dysfunction, heightened feelings of loneliness, additional expenses, […]

Becoming a More Peaceful Person

While waiting in a long checkout line at a store, one woman remains calm and content, while the woman behind her is irritated and frustrated. When cut off in traffic, one man simply continues driving toward his destination, while another man blows his car horn, shouting obscenities. If nothing is going on, one person sits quietly […]

The of Spiritual Simplicity

When Ron’s wife died from cancer at the young age of 37, it forever changed him. A driven, corporate executive, Ron decided to rethink his priorities and live more simply. So he quit his job and became a consultant who was paid on an hourly basis. That eliminated his 70-hour workweeks and provided him with […]

When Should I Apologize?

Bill and his wife were high school sweethearts when he went off to college. They kept in touch by telephone but one day had a disagreement. Abruptly he announced, over the phone, that they were through. However, the breakup left him feeling so badly that a short time later he hitchhiked 300 miles back home […]

7 Steps to Break a Habit

For some of us, it’s procrastination. For others, it’s overeating. And for still others, it’s perpetually showing up late, or nail biting, or gossiping. Whatever it is, we’ve all felt the pull of a bad habit (or several!) that we know we ought to kick but just . . . can’t. But don’t despair: habit […]

Can Faith Make You Well?

Vibrant Life editor Heather Quintana previews an article in the September/October issue that looks at the connection between faith and health. Research in the growing field of neuroimmunology shows that faith definitely has a dramatic affect on diseases and even longevity.